1/25/11 Janis Plotnieks

Dear Janis,
Specific goals for next semester would be incorrect. I would say goals for the next half a year, that can make a major affect to my life, because next semester can be basically most important semester that I ever had. If I do not get the scholarschip for the private school in Virginia, then that is basically the end of the good life. That is why next semester will be really hard, however, I want to make it full of memories.
I think, one of the most important things in students life is good grades. At least it should be. That is one of my most important goals that I want to achieve next semester. I have to work very hard to reach specifically this goal, because I am in a new school, whole school system is something new for me, and english is not my native language. Grades is the thing that everybody is looking at. Especially, if I want to return to USA to attend college, it will be most important thing, besides sports of course. Grades is the future, and you do not want to ruin your future already in the high school.
As I mentioned, good grades in next semester are really close connected to my future choices and oppurtunities. And one of the greatest oppurtunities that I have given is to get good grades and get a scholarschip for a private school for my senior year. That is really important for me. Not only, because I can stay one more year in USA, and party and do a lot of stupid, crazy stuff, but I can actually get an United States high school diploma. But that is not my greatest motivation. I just really want to get the scholarschip, because I want to make my real parents really proud of me. I want to finally earn something by myself in life. I am really sick of asking parents for money and to pay for everything. Only a few students from each years exchange student group has the oppurtunity and capability to pull this kind of future plan thru and come back already for the nxt year, but I got the right attitude and right contacts to do it !
Really huge part of my life is sports, not all sports – only basketball. That is one more way to get a scholarschip for the next year and maybe not only for the next year, who knows. Here in USA basketball has been all my life and I have spent a lot of time almost every day paractcing and doing something connected with basketball. Now it is time to wait for the payback. Actually I have recently contacted a few important private school basketball coaches to visit our game, and it has helped a lot for my main goal. They have offered me different types of scholarschips in their schools. But I have not found the real one yet. That is why next semester I have to motivate myself even more, work harder, practice harder and maybe I will get recruited or at least recognized without my own participation
But even despite all the hard work that I have to put in next semester, I want to make more friends, contacts and people that I can trust in here. This first half of the year in here has been kind of lonely. Got to attend more parties and do something crazy to be remembered. I mean, I known lots of people, and even more know me, but I just want to have somebody that I can call when I return in the United States on august.
These goals ar basically most important. Next year will be really important. I hope for the best and hopefully everything is gonna be alright. After the next year I will see how have I persuaded myself to realize those goals and maybe you will see me visitng Kempsville HS next year, but just visiting...